Little Year, Little Moon

The print edition goes on presale at 7:00 p.m. on July 24. 1. After their college entrance exams, Li Yingqiao and Yu Jinyang headed north and south to study, both making the same bold declaration: they wouldn’t return home until they’d made something of themselves. Ten years passed in a flash. Both came home defeated and ran into each other at a barbershop in their hometown. Li Yingqiao saw her old rival and friend demanding compensation for his head of hair, which looked as though a dog had chewed it. Unable to resist, she edged closer to listen to his complaint, just as she was about to laugh He noticed her, shot her a glance, then added: “And my idol saw it, too.” “You owe me some money.” Li Yingqiao: “?” 2. A friend asked Yu Jinyang, “What are you and Li Yingqiao to each other?” He answered frankly, “Just ordinary friends. What else would we be?” A few days later, the friend asked Li Yingqiao, “You two have had such a dramatic childhood friendship. Is there really nothing more?” Li Yingqiao answered even more frankly, “What could there be? We’re just random people to each other.” Yu Jinyang didn’t think there was anything wrong with that. But one night, the water stopped while he was halfway through a shower. As he waited with shampoo still in his hair, a thought suddenly popped into his head: Random people. Which one was he? Childhood friends / reunion after a long separation / family drama across generations / rivals Tough-girl butterfly x devoted childhood friend Note: “Tough-girl butterfly” comes from “A butterfly and a tank can coexist in one woman” by Jian Zhen. Reading notes: Slow burn, understated, everyday life in a small town, with a bit of an ensemble cast. The main characters aren’t perfect, and none are based on real people. Free story, four updates a week: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Update time: after 8 p.m. Theme: Building a beautiful home